The Vodacom Bulls have been given a timely boost by the return to full-match fitness of club captain Ruan Nortje ahead of their EPCR Challenge Cup quarterfinal clash on Saturday 12 April 2025. Nortje returns to lead the troops when the Tshwane outfit takes on Scottish side Edinburgh Rugby at the Hive Stadium at 13h30 South African Time.
The Springbok lock returns to the starting XV to marshal the lineouts alongside his understudy and Junior Springbok, JF van Heerden. Other changes to the forwards pack see Marcell Coetzee shifting from eight to the role of loose forward, pairing up with 2019/20 Investec Champions Cup winner Jannes Kirsten. That shift sees Cameron Hanekom return to the starting lineup in his regular eighth-man role.
At the front, the trio of Simphiwe Matanzima, Akker van der Merwe and Wilco Louw remains unchanged from the round of 16.
Director of Rugby Jake White has retained the services of the same back line of Zak Burger, Keagan Johannes, Stravino Jacobs, Harold Vorster, David Kriel, Sergeal Petersen and Devon Williams, who all did duty in France.
White has also made adjustments to the impact squad, adding the Springbok duo of Johann Grobbelaar and Canan Moodie, both returning to action after a few weeks of being on the sidelines. The rest of the five-three split standby crew also features Jan-hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith, Reinhardt Ludwig, Marco van Staden, Embrose Papier and Johan Goosen.
White says the team will borrow from last weekend’s victory as they look to further their stay in the competition.
“Last week’s result was massive. To get an away win in France is a big deal, especially because Bayonne are a strong outfit that sits fourth in their league. That winning feeling is something you cannot bottle but it has given us confidence, and the vibe in the camp is upbeat. We have a nice environment and it gives us a nice feeling as a group,”
“I am really happy we got that win, and we must now take that momentum into this week.”
VODACOM BULLS vs EDINBURGH RUGBY STARTING XV: 1. Simphiwe Matanzima, 2. Akker van der Merwe, 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Ruan Nortje (c), 5. JF van Heerden, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 7. Jannes Kirsten, 8. Cameron Hanekom, 9. Zak Burger, 10. Keagan Johannes, 11. Stravino Jacobs, 12. Harold Vorster, 13. David Kriel, 14. Sergeal Petersen, 15. Devon Williams
VODACOM BULLS IMPACT SQUAD: 16. Johann Grobbelaar, 17. Jan-hendrik Wessels, 18. Mornay Smith, 19. Reinhardt Ludwig, 20. Marco van Staden, 21. Embrose Papier, 22. Johan Goosen, 23. Canan Moodie
MANAGEMENT: Jake White – Director of Rugby, Chris Rossouw – Assistant Coach, Werner Kruger – Assistant Coach, Andries Bekker – Assistant Coach, Jean Tiedt – Assistant Coach, Kennedy Tsimba – Assistant Coach, Phiwe Nomlomo – Assistant Coach, John-William Meyer – Technical Analyst, Dr. Herman Rossouw – Team Doctor, Lance Lemmetjies & Darryn Berry – Physiotherapists, Andre Volsteedt – Strength & Conditioning, Yusuf Vahed – Sport Scientist, Dr. Eugene Hare – Team Manager, Simon Dyidi – Logistics Manager
